In his NY Times blog: The conscience of a Liberal, journalist Paul Krugman, describes Ted Kennedy as “a great man.” Yet he reminds us of the days many remember when Ted Kennedy was a figure of derision

A social conscience is the way we used to express having an attitude towards the world in which each individual acknowledged his/her own actions and the impact these made upon the world. These days, this attitude is commonly call social responsibility.

Seemingly, Ted Kennedy was born with a social conscience.. However, let's not confuse social responsibility of individuals with social justice of entire nations. I'm speaking here of individual actions, not the collective acts with a democracy of policy and government that further freedom with social justice initiatives of fairness and equality.

Much has been written about corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a new value in business. Some would argue it's always been present in the form of a leader with CSR values. Most writers though point to a WIFFM (what's in it for me) position which argues for increased profitability as motivation for businesses to "do the smart thing" by initiating CSR programs that retain customers from switching to more socially responsible brands. Here it's not a socially conscience leader but the boardroom which plays a major role in converting senior managers to a new way of communicating with staff and customers, using the profit and loss lens to deal with any resistance and avoidance to change. Having worked on CSR internal communications within an organization, I can say that this approach only works well when the strategy is championed by leadership and it engages the passions of staff, as well as reinforcing the organization's CSR values.

Doing the right thing.

What about the example that Ted Kennedy sets? He wasn't doing the "smart thing". Born into wealth and privilege, he identified not with the rich and powerful, but with the marginalized and disenfranchised. He was doing the right thing!

Any successful CSR business mandate would be wise to combine the two positions - business and profit as the "smart thing to do" alongside the moral position of the"right thing to do." This parallel approach paves the way for business to more widely engage in CSR - it harnasses employee's passions and provides a space for new leaders to emerge.

Corporate social responsibility is a new practice area for communicators. There is no clear career path laid out, as yet. Courses are beginning to be offered, but as business need increases, many are behind in the upward curve. Some of us are reaching deep inside ourselves from our personal experience as we consult and write for business on corporate social responsibility. As a former documentary maker, my experience comes from telling the story of environmental impact of nuclear power, human rights in the third world, community action for chronic health education and fundraising, and women’s rights in obtaining rights in Canada’s Charter of Rights. A colleague has created a foundation for funding African development, another is helping orphans in Kenya, and yet another is teaching CSR and traveling the world.

Affecting change in oneself or in an organization requires learning new skills. Ted Kennedy remained true to his values. For business to succeed in the CSR space requires the same ethics and transparency. This means consistency and honesty - the ethical piece. Anyone working in CSR communications must stay away from a “corp speak” to touch hearts and minds of stakeholders. Just like Ted Kennedy did.